Rotary compressor.



C. E. KELLS.

ROTARY YCOMFRSSOR'. l M'Pucmou r|LEo- A| n..1o. lere.

EET lv.

,Patented Jan.

Y' C. El KELLS. ROTARY COMPRESSOR, APPLICATVION ,FILED APR. l0, .1916;

Patented Jan. 2,1917;

2 suns-"supera CHARLES EDMUND KELLS, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

ROTARY coivrrnnssoa.`

Specification of Letters Patent. y

.application filed` April 10, 1916. Serial No. 90,200.

V' To all whom t may concern:

Bel it known that 2I, CHARLES EDMUND KELLS, a citizen of the United States, residing in New Orleans, inthe parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have in-,

vented certain new' and useful Improvements in Rotary Compressors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly to rotary compressors of the kind employed for compressing air but which are adapted to compress other liuids. Apparatus of this kind is also capable of being employed asa pump or rotary engine, andit will therefore be understood that when I describe my improvements '.as being embodied in an air compressor I do not intend to be confined inV my claims to such apparatus.

It is important that apparatus of this kind should be properly lubricated in order to reduce friction and consequent heat. is also important that when the apparatus is rotated at high speed and for a prolonged period the heat unavoidably developed should be dissipated and it is also desirablel that the noise usually produced should be, as far as possible, eliminated.

The object of my invention is to provide apparatus possessing these characteristics.

In carrying out my invention Iprovide a rotor and a rotor chamber which may be conveniently located at one end of an electric motor, to the shaft of which the rotor is keyed. The rotor is preferably cylindrical or circular in vertical sectionv and its axis of rotation coincides with the axis of the motor shaft. a general circular shape but is somewhat larger in diameter than the rotor and is eccentric with reference thereto, its lower wall being at allI times in contact with the lower portion of the rotor while its upper wall is separated therefrom, thus providing a chamber for the entrance of air and in which the air is compressed. The rotor chamber is so formed that it provides a depressed abutment for the rotor which latter is equipped with vanes which instead of being radially movable, as is often the case, are mounted to swing in recesses in the rotor, being pressed in one `direction by springs and being free to move to a suffi- -cient extent in the opposite direction against the pressure of said springs. By a very simple arrangement the vanes while turmng about fixed axes.. are not connected to the The rotor chamber is of Patented Jan. 42, 1917.7

rotor by pivot pins but are loosely mounted in the recesses in the rotor and can be easily .f inserted or withdrawn when required.

In order to lubricate, I introduce oil or other suitable material near the axis of the' rotorand I provide a channel which conveys the lubricant radially tofthey middle portion of the depressed abutment whereby oil is supplied to the vanes and also to the sides and periphery of the rotor. In order to cool the compressor I may provide the rotor casing with projections or ribs for radiating heat, and-I may also attach to the motor shaft a fan which by directing air currents against the rotor casing cools it to some extent.

In order to reduce or eliminatenoise I" employ an outlet or exhaust opening v.0f small area. This I have demonstratedl has the desired effect although it tends to` increase heat in the rotor which, however, is

compensated by the cooling devices before described.v A l In thev accompanying drawings :`-Figure 1 is an end elevation .of an electric motor' and a compressor, made in accordance with my invention, applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof with some parts broken away. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but with the end plate of the rotor removed. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the rotor. `Fig. 5 shows a vertical central section through the rotor, the section being taken at right angles to the axis of the rotor. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the end plate of the rotor detached, and it shows by dotted v lines its relation with the rotor. Fig. 7 is a detail view in section showing the end plate of the rotor and the inlet and outlet ports'. Fig. 8 is a diagram illustratingy the relation .of the rotor with the walls of the rotor chamber, the rotor 'being circular as shown with its central axis at m, while' the walls f the' rotor chamber are made up of a 'series of arcs, some of which are .struck from the center w, others from the center y, and others from the center e.

The compressor may be driven 1nv any -suitable way, but preferably I employ for this purpose an electric motor A which may be of any suitable kind. The armature .shaftB is'v'mounted in suitable bearings which may be lubricated in the manner indicated at C. The motor casing is provided with Ventilating openings D; D and the kshaft B carries .a fan E4 whichy directs air screws or bolts g and it is provided with an currents against the motor casing next to the rotor. The rotor casing F may, if desired, be formed in one piece with the head plate of the motor casing and it is provided with ribs or projections f to radiate heat` rIhe rotor casing is closed by a head or end plate G which may be secured to the `casing F by admission port H and an exit port I, the latter being restricted at z' as .indicated in l Fig. 7.

that the outer ends of the vanes which arey beveled or inclined and rounded as shown, are pressed against the wallI of' the rotor chamber,'in the manner clearly indicated in Figs. 3 and` 5. It will be observed that the outer end of each Vane is so shaped as to make close contact with the walll of the rotor' chamber at all times, whether it `be pressed outward, as indicated in full lines Fig. 5, or whether it be moved inward, asv

indicated in the same figure. yPreferably only two vanes are employed and they are loosely mounted in the recesses Z. While in --use theypress closely on the inner peyripheral wall of the rotor casing or chamber andtheir sides fit closely the side walls of said chamber. The pins o are loosely connected with the vanes so that the latter may be easily withdrawn and removed when desired.v Itwill furthermore be observed that the recesses which contain the springs n may be easily drilled as the recesses Z are so formed that this-may be readily accomplished.

It will be observed that While the rotor is truly cylindrical and its action is concentric with `that of the motor shaft the rotor chamber, while of a general circular shape, is of somewhat larger diameter than the rotor andy is not truly circular. By reference to Fig. 8 it will be seen that the periphery of the rotor coincides with a circle struck from the center The upper portion of the rotor chamber above the line 1', 1' coincides with an arc struck from the center y. Those portions of the'rotor chamb er below the line r and extending to the points s coincide with arcs struck from the center z, the lower portion of the chamber between the points s coinciding with an arc struck from the center which is the center of rotation of the rotor. In this way v through the exhaust,

In order to lubricate the rotory and its chamber I provide an oil reservoir P on the head plate Gr which is provided with'an adjustable closure p and delivers through an opening Q to the rotor chamber, the lubricant being passed by means of a radial channel q tothe depressed abutment and advisedly to the middle portion thereof.v

Preferably but not necessarily the channel is formed in the head plate G. In this way the lubricant is delivered at the abutment ,without danger ofr air escaping through the lubricant chamber. The oil passes into the recesses Z and lubricates the vanes and it also passes through said recesses to the opposite side, of the `rotor Vand lubricates its side walls. Much diiiculty has heretofore been encountered in properly lubricating rotary compressorsof the kind to which my invention relates, but the lubricating 'de-i vices just described have proved to be most eiicient.

My improvements are especially applicable to small air compressors or compressors for gases and vapors of various kinds but obviously they are applicable to compressors, pumps, engines, etc., of larger dimensions.` f

It is quite apparent that I haveprovided a compressor of very simple construction. I have provided for eiiicient lubrication, for reduction or elimination of noise, and for dissipation or elimination, to some extent, of heat. I have also provided a compressor -in which by .very simple devices leakage past the abutment from one port to another is absolutely prevented, and for these reasons the apparatus has by actual demonstration proved to be most eiicient in all the tests to `which it has been subjected.

I claim as my invention: f

1. A rotary compressor comprising a rotor chamber -having inlet and outlet ports, a rotor within the chamber having V-shaped vane-receiving recesses open at their outer ends and on .two opposite sides and swinging vanes loosely mounted in said recesses and removable endwise therefrom and which are pressed inward endwise therein to hold their inner ends seated at all times in the inner ends of said recesses as the rotor revolves.-

2. A rotary compressor comprising a rotor chamber having inlet and outlet ports and a curved wall forming an abutment between the inlet and outlet ports, a rotor i each of said recesses which at times projects beyond the periphery of the rotor and at other times lies Within the recess, one of the sides of said Vane being of the same length as the longer sideof the recess and each vane having an inclined outer end fitting the inner peripheral Wall of the rotor chamber.

3. A rotary compressor comprising a rotor chamber having inlet and outlet ports,

and a depressed abutment between the ports, a rotor Within the chamber having vane receiving recesses, vanes mounted to swing in said recesses, and a detachable end 20 plate for the rotor chamber provided with a lubricant chamber and with a channel leading radially to the middle portion of the depressed abutment. y

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto 25 subscribed my name.

CHARLES EDMUND KELLS.

Witnesses: Y

SAMUEL H. MCAFEE, JUSTIN GREEN. 

